If you ever find yourself left home alone, try out our recipes for pizza, mac and cheese, and ice cream – all made with the help of everybody’s best friend, the blender! 

Ingredients

Little Nero’s Pizza Ingredients:

• Store-bought pizza dough (~1 lb)

• As needed bread flour

• As needed Pizza Sauce (see recipe below) 

• As needed freshly grated low-moisture mozzarella cheese 

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) can peeled San Marzano tomatoes

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp dried basil

• To taste kosher salt

Blender Mac and Cheese Ingredients:

• 3 yolks, beaten

• 1 tsp dijon mustard 

• Optional: ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 12 oz mild yellow cheddar, divided

• 4 cups whole milk

• 16 oz short pasta

• To taste kosher salt 

No Churn Ice Cream Sundae Ingredients:

• 500 g whole milk, divided

• 130 g granulated sugar

• ¾ tsp kosher salt 

• ½ tsp xanthan gum

• 450 heavy cream, cold 

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 25 g cocoa powder, sifted 

• To serve: whipped cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate sauce

Method

Little Nero’s Pizza Method:

1. Shape the dough into a taught ball. Cover with an overturned bowl or well-floured covered container, and allow the dough to proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

2. During the last 30 minutes of prooding, preheat the pizza oven to 700 °F.

3. Flour both your work surface and the dough itself and pat the dough out as wide as possible with your fingers.

4. Roll the dough out in two directions, leaving a small hump in the middle. Then, turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out the hump to form a relatively perfect circle.

5. Begin gently and slowly stretching the dough by passing it knuckle over knuckle until it is as thin as you can get it, which in this case, is about 14-16 inches wide. Place the stretched out dough on a generously floured pizza peel.

6. Add a layer of a thin layer of sauce and top with low moisture mozzarella cheese.

7. Place the pizza in the preheated pizza oven for 5-7 minutes. Rotate the pizza often and make sure to pop any air bubbles before taking it out of the oven once the exterior is deeply browned and the cheese is melted and golden brown. 

8. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Pizza Sauce Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in the base of a high-powered blender. 

2. Blend for 15-30 seconds or until mostly smooth with some texture remaining.

3. Optionally, cook the sauce in a medium sauce pot for 30 minutes.  

4. Cool the sauce to room temperature (if applicable), then set aside until ready to use or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Blender Mac and Cheese Method:

1. In this order, add the egg yolks, mustard, cayenne pepper (if using), and 8 ounces of the cheese to the base of a high-powered blender.

2. Bring the mik to a boil in a high-walled skillet or sauce pot. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the box instructions. 

3. Drain the pasta, making sure to reserve all of the milk. Reserve the pasta in the same skillet or pot.

4. Begin blending the contents of the blender on medium-high speed while slowly streaming in the hot milk. 

5. Continue blending the sauce until it is homogenous, about 30 seconds. 

6. Add the sauce back to the pan or pot with the al dente pasta. Stir to combine and then optionally, cook the sauced-pasta over low heat until the desired consistency is reached. 

7. Turn off the heat (if applicable), stir in the reserved 4 ounces of cheddar cheese, and cover the pot. Allow the mac and cheese to sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

No Churn Ice Cream Sundae Method:

1. Combine half of the milk, sugar, salt, and xanthan gum in a blender. Blend for 2 minutes or until the xanthan gum is well incorporated and the sugar is dissolved. 

2. Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and remaining milk. 

3. Divide the ice cream base into two equal portions. Stir the cocoa powder into one of the portions.

4. Refrigerate both ice cream bases until completely cool. 

5. Pour the cooled ice cream bases into two small ice cube trays. Freeze the mixture until completely solid, about 4 hours.

6. When ready to “churn,” allow the frozen ice cream base to thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then add them to the base of a high-powered blender. Blend the frozen cubes until completely smooth, about 45 - 60 seconds. 

7. Freeze overnight in an ice cream container, then serve with whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate sauce.